Relationships
by Jadedbest
Summary: *CHAPTER 8 IS NOW UP* This fic deals with the many relationships of DBZ all centering around a gang Bar-B-Que. Some will be funny and some not. Rated PG-13 for some light lime at the beginning, but it's PG for the most part.
1. Love

Disclaimer: Basic legal mumbo-jumbo.  
  
AN: This is another series from me so tell what you think.  
  
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Her blood red nails dug into his well-toned chest. Her moans of pleasure driving him closer and closer to completion, as she rocked back and forth on top of him. At the climax of his release he murmured the words that lay so heavily his heart, "I love you, Bulma."  
  
Her body stiffened as she found her own release and she collapsed on top of him. When her breathing slowed, she gently placed her lips to his and murmured, "And I love you, Vegeta."  
  
Vegeta?!  
  
~*~  
  
Yamcha sat up straight in his bed. He ran his hands through his hair, sweat beading his forehead. "So, you're going to haunt me in the day too," he murmured. That's what it was after all, a haunting. He had come to expect her at night, but now she even chased him in the light of day.  
  
The dreams were always the same. They'd be dancing or having a picnic or making love. Having a wonderful time just being together, then everything would shatter when she called him by HIS name, as if she'd been with HIM all along.  
  
He ran his hand over his face and glanced at his clock. 2:30. 'Damn! I'm going to be late,' he thought. He climbed out of bed and walked into his bathroom. He had decided to take a quick nap before he had to spend yet another afternoon watching them together. It was so strange that after all these years he would start to dream of her. He turned on the faucet and started to wash his face.  
  
Then again maybe it wasn't so strange.  
  
Lately he hadn't looked at the string of super models in his life the same way. Something was changing. He remembered Bulma calling it 'Growing up' when she had tried to explain her involvement with Vegeta. He was growing up. One-night stands and all night partying no longer held the same appeal. He wanted home, family, and stability. And the only person he could imagine it with already had it.  
  
He dabbed his face with a towel and walked back into his room. He quickly donned a red and white Tommy shirt and a pair of khaki pants. He looked himself over in the mirror and after running his hand through his hair, he walked out the front door of his condo. He opted to fly instead of drive because it was such a beautiful day. The perfect day for a Briefs Bar-B- Que.  
  
He landed on the front lawn of the Capsule Corporation to a very common sight. Trunks and Vegeta were exchanging an array of blows that would have left the average man seeing stars. To them, it was just an unconventional form of father/son bonding. Though obviously outmatch, the lavender hared demi-Saiyan-jin prince was giving as good as he got.  
  
'Trunks,' Yamcha thought with a sad smile. The son that should have been his. Everyone talked of how much the boy's birth had change and shaped his father, but nobody knew just how much he had changed HIS life.  
  
When he and Bulma had broke up that last time, he had thought nothing of it. They had broken up before and they would break up again. It had been five months and he had been training non-stop for the approaching android threat. He decided to take a break and have some…fun. The first person that had come to his mind was Bulma Briefs. He figured it was time for them to start their 'get back together' routine. Usually he'd buy flowers and go plead with her for another chance. She'd yell and complain about him not appreciating her and that she needed time to think about their next step. They normally spent the rest of the night (and much of the next week) making love at his place.  
  
Imagine his surprise when he saw that someone had beat him to the punch. His first thought had been that it was his baby but she had quickly set him straight on that though she had kept the baby's father a secret for the moment. He had noticed the change in her. She was no longer the girl that wanted to party and play forever any more. She was a woman, an adult and way beyond his reach. It was in this meeting that he had first noticed the new twinkle in her eye. He hadn't been able to place it then but now he saw it every time she looked at the ill-tempered Saiyan prince.  
  
Yamcha was snatched from his memories as the two warriors broke apart to catch their breath.  
  
"You're getting slow, old man," the sixteen-year-old panted.  
  
"And yet I'm still quicker than you, boy," responded his father.  
  
Trunks smirked.  
  
The trademark family smile made Yamcha shake his head. No, he was wrong. Trunks could never have been his son. Then he wouldn't be Trunks.  
  
"Uncle Yamcha!"  
  
Yamcha turned to see the little blue hared princess that he adored running towards him. He squatted down and scooped her up then stood back up.  
  
"Hey kiddo! Whatcha' been up to?" he asked.  
  
"I was helping Momma and Grandma with the picnic," she said proudly.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yep!"  
  
"Good girl!" he beamed at her. 'Kami, how she looked like her mother,' he thought.  
  
"Hey Yamcha!"  
  
He looked at the door and there she stood. She looked great in the causal blue jeans and pink Capsule Corp. T-shirt.  
  
"Hi Bulma."  
  
"You're the first one here so you can help Trunks and Vegeta set up the tables," she said.  
  
"Sure Bulma," he said. She smiled. Man, he loved her smile.  
  
"See Vegeta, you should take notes for Yamcha on being more agreeable," she said turning to her husband.  
  
Vegeta grunted and walked up the stairs, stopping in front of her. "There's nothing I can learn for that weakling," he said before he passed her and entered the house.  
  
Bulma rolled her eyes skyward and sighed, "Saiyans," she said on a smile. She winked at her son as he followed his father into the house.  
  
Yamcha smiled. The twinkle was still there.  
  
She turned and entered the house, motioning for him to follow.  
  
He did, still carrying the little princess.  
  
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Tell me what you guys think of this one. Thanks for reading. 


	2. Loss

Disclaimer: *looks at Hercule* I didn't do it.  
  
AN: Thanks to those of you who reviewed. On with the fic.  
  
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"He said yeah," Krillin said poking his head in the door.  
  
1 "Tell him if he's not ready when we are we won't wait," Eighteen said.  
  
"Sure thing, Babe." He winked at her before he walked out the room.  
  
She smiled. He was such a goon sometimes. But she loved him. She picked up her brush and began running it through her golden locks. It was hard to imagine her life without him. But maybe that was because she didn't remember much before him.  
  
Before Gero, her life was a blur. She didn't have any full memories of her childhood, just bits and pieces that would be triggered by a sound or a smell. Often in these visions she would see a dark hared woman with startling blue eyes but nothing more. She never thought much on these memories, though, assuming that the past was better left in the past. At least that's what Seventeen always use to say.  
  
He was another frequent ghost in these visions. Though that Seventeen smiled a lot more than the one she watched be absorbed by Cell. She felt more than knew for sure that as children he got her into worlds trouble. It was the twinkle in the mischievous boy's eye whenever he flashed into her mind that told her this.  
  
Her first full memories came when she had awoken in Gero's laboratory for the first time. She couldn't remember anything, not even her own name. She sat up straight and lightly touched the back of her head. Her head throbbed and she felt different, stronger somehow. She recalled looking over her hands and feeling the power surging through them. Feeling eyes on her, she turned to the left and there he was.  
  
He was sitting in a matching pod and was staring at her with the oddest expression on his face. She couldn't even remember his name and yet the word, "Brother," slipped from between her lips.  
  
He nodded his head in the affirmative but before he could utter a word a door opened and an old man stepped inside.  
  
"Ah, you're awake," he said. He walked over to stand in front of their pods and looked them over. "You are magnificent. Not that I expected a creation of mine to have been anything less, but I must say this is a best even for me," he smiled a secretive smile and added, "so far."  
  
She and the dark hared boy looked at one another in confusion. The boy looked at the old man and asked, "Who are you?"  
  
"Wouldn't you rather know who you are?" he asked knowing full well that he had wiped their memories clean. He smiled at their matching frowns and answered. "I am Dr. Gero and you are my creations, Androids 17 and 18. I created you to exact my vengeance on the world."  
  
The twins looked at each other again and their frowns deepened. "Which one of us is which?" the boy asked.  
  
Gero's smile widened. "You are seventeen and she is eighteen."  
  
"What vengeance are we to exact?" This came from her.  
  
"Well it all started with a boy named Goku," Gero sneered. He proceeded to tell them about the destruction of the red ribbon army, their creation, and what he expected of them, all the while describing them as 'his little creations'. To say it became annoying was an understatement.  
  
When he had finished his little speech, she and seventeen looked at each other and came to a decision. With a nod from her, seventeen turned to the scientist.  
  
"So, if we're so powerful, why should 'we' obey 'you'?" he asked climbing out of the pod and began walking towards his 'master'.  
  
Gero was flabbergasted and began to sputter. "Well because-because I am your creator- your God!" His eyes widened in fear as the twins smirked and began circling him.  
  
"Excuse me, 'Master'. But to be one's God doesn't one have to be superior to the other being?" she had asked.  
  
"I am superior to you! In mind!" Gero protested as they stopped circling him.  
  
The Androids smiled at each other. "You must not be. Or else you would have seen this coming," Seventeen said as he raised his hand and tried his new powers for the first time. He succeeded in obliterating a part of the lab. She decided to join the fun and together they began destroying the room.  
  
Gero stumbled over to a table and picked up a small rectangular device. "Oh, but I did see it coming," he said before he pushed the button and shut them down.  
  
Eighteen stared into the mirror as the memory faded and another began. They were on the battlefield and Android Sixteen was fighting Cell, trying to protect Seventeen and herself. He seemed to have the upper hand and had told them to run while he held off the disgusting green creature. She wanted to grab Seventeen and get away but he was so in awe of Sixteen's power that he didn't move. And that was his folly, for the green demon came from under the ground behind him and absorbed him before he even knew what had happened.  
  
The machine side of her could only think of what this monster would now do to her but the human side-the side buried deep within- wanted to cry and scream. He was gone! The last link she had to her past, whatever past she had left. She remembered feeling a strange moist residue forming in her eyes. She didn't know what it was, having not been acquainted with it before, so she fought it. She hind her pain and fled, though that had turned out to be for not.  
  
She sat down the brush and ran her fingers through her hair. She still thought about him often, though not with such anger any more. She often wondered why she had been saved and he hadn't. She remembered Krillin's wish for him but since no one had seen him, she could only assume it hadn't worked. Maybe they were wrong and she would see him again but she didn't think it was possible. Her brother had left a whole in her heart, luckily she had found two people willing to try and fill it.  
  
"Momma!"  
  
Eighteen turned on the vanity stool as her daughter came in the room.  
  
"How do I look?" the eleven-year-old asked as she spun around to give her mother a good look at the floral print knee-length yellow skirt with pink flowers and matching yellow tank top.  
  
"You look lovely, little one," she said, her voice full of love.  
  
Marron smiled brightly. "And I curled my hair, see?"  
  
"It's very nice."  
  
Marron eyes were full of excitement as she asked, "Do you think Trunks will like it?"  
  
Eighteen's smile fell slightly. She didn't really approve of her daughter's growing infatuation with the blue-eyed Saiyan but there wasn't much she could about it. "I'm sure he'll think you look very nice," she said after a moment.  
  
"Are my girls ready?" Krillin asked stepping into the door.  
  
"Yep," Marron said. She walked up to her father and spun in a circle, then looked at him expectantly.  
  
"You look gorgeous," he said knowing what she wanted to hear.  
  
Marron giggled. "Momma said that Trunks is going to love me in it. I'm going tell Master Roshi we're leaving," she said leaving the room.  
  
"Marron that's not exactly what I said-" Eighteen called but her words fell on deaf ears.  
  
Krillin turned to his wife in shock. "Trunks?" he asked.  
  
Eighteen sighed and shrugged her shoulders. She stood up and walked over to the door. "Let's go," she said.  
  
They walked outside and Krillian decapsulated the small motor boat. When Marron and Master Roshi came out, they sat out on their way to the Briefs' Bar-B-Que.  
  
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I promise the next one will be a humorous one. Please don't forget to review. Thanks for reading. 


	3. Calander Girl

Disclaimer: I, Jadedbest, do not, never have, and never will own Dragonball/Z/Gt or any of it's characters.  
  
AN: I'm glad you guys like this. Special thanks to Saiyangirl, SaiyanPassion, Bellebet, BarbaraSheridan, and Caralin Fury.  
  
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"We're leaving in 30 minutes! Are you coming, Roshi?" Krillian called from the other side of the door.  
  
"Yeah. I'll meet you at the boat!" Master Roshi answered back in irritation. He didn't even know why he was going to the stupid Bar-B-Que. He'd much rather stay home and…  
  
"Hey Roshi! 18 said that if you're not ready when we are we won't wait," Krillian yelled.  
  
"Fine!" He waited till he heard the sound of receding footsteps.  
  
"Finally some peace," he grunted. He picked up the magazine he had been reading.  
  
He'd much rather stay home with the only thing that truly loved him. His magazines (well…and his tapes too).  
  
He knew what would happen today. First he would be forced to sit through a torturous boat ride where he'd have to watch 18's young supple breast bouncing up and down as they rode over the waves, knowing that if he touched them he would no longer have a hand. Then when they reached Capsule Corp. he'd have to watch Bulma bending over in whatever tight little get up she decided to wear and even if he did, by some strange miracle, get close enough to cop-a-feel the Saiyan would start staring at him. He wouldn't say anything or do anything, he'd just look at him. It was unnerving. That only left him with two options. Videl or ChiChi. Now, Videl was a plausible choice. She was aware of his…um…interest in the female form though she never realized how often his…interest turned on her. Her only fault was Gohan. The boy knew him too well and, though he did it subtly, he kept her away from him. Now ChiChi, well she was never really an option. Though she was very nicely put together (and he stressed the very), she scared him shitless. So, the joy of the picnic was pretty much lost on him.  
  
If it were up to him he'd spend all his days and nights with Ms. April (or May or June or January). They were the only ones who truly understood him. He remembered his first meeting with them. He sighed as the memory came back…  
  
As a young man growing up in a small town in Jersey, he'd walk the streets during the day looking for excitement. When he was about 11, a new store opened downtown. Many people protested it, claiming it was immoral and dirty. But he was in heaven. The first time he walked into the store he had been nervous because he didn't really know what to expect. He picked up one of the glossy booklets that said GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! across the front. And from this simple introduction, a love of affair to end all love affairs began.  
  
Tragically, they broke up for a short period of time when his eye wondered to her more 3-dimensional form. They found their way back to one another when he had left civilization behind and became a hermit. On their private tropical haven, their love reblossomed and they lived in unadulterated bliss. But things didn't stay that way.  
  
He had always had a problem with commitment. He admitted it. One day he and Ms. August (or was it September) were sipping fruit drinks when the Turtle had returned. Turtle told him of the boy that had helped him get home and how he had promised that he would help them. He had kissed his love goodbye, promising to return soon.  
  
Unfortunately, the boy hadn't been alone and the long legged blue hared beauty that was with him had grabbed his attention. Something in the back of his mind told him to remain faithfully. He had several beautiful women waiting for him at home and he didn't need to mess up the good thing they had going. But he had been too weak and in the end he had made a deal with Bulma for a Dragonball and that had been the beginning of their problems.  
  
After Bulma, there had been Launch and then Bulma again. For a short period there had been Marron (there was just something about a woman with blue hair) and then last but not least 18. He and Ms. July had seen each other from time to time, but it was never the same. He knew she was hurt by his infidelity and that she wasn't sure whether or not to trust him again. But when Krillian and 18 had married making the blond off limits, he promised he'd change and she'd given him a second chance.  
  
Yes, she was a wonderful, given woman, that Ms. December. And he was lucky to have her. She knew that even though his eyes and hands sometimes wondered, she was the only girl for him. It was good they had finally come to an understanding in their relationship.  
  
He sighed and picked up the magazine. Maybe they still had a little time alone before it was time to go-  
  
"Master Roshi, we're leaving!" called Marron.  
  
He groaned and got up. He might as well go. The gang rarely got together any more so he'd probably end up regretting it if he didn't. He placed Ms. February on top of the TV and turned off his video. He grabbed his cane and opened the door.  
  
"Are you ready?" the little blond asked.  
  
"As ready as I'm going to be," he said.  
  
Marron grabbed his hand. "Then let's go," she said excitedly.  
  
She dragged him out the front door to where Krillian had already decapsulated the boat. Once everyone was on board Krillian started the boat. As it began to bump along, those pert bouncing globes caught his attention.  
  
Here we go, he thought with a sigh.  
  
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Tell me what you think when you review. Thanks for reading. 


	4. Best Bud

Disclaimer: *looks at Vegeta* If I had done that…well never mind. There may be kids reading.  
  
AN: Thanks for your support guys. You don't know how much I appreciate it.  
  
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Goten took a bite out of the Bar-B-Qued turkey leg and frowned across the table.  
  
"I don't know Trunks…," he said skeptically.  
  
"Come on Goten. This is going to be the best party Edge has had since…well…since the last one he had and you're trying to tell me you want to miss it for this Bar-B-Que! You've got to be kidding me," Trunks said in disbelief.  
  
Goten sat down the turkey leg and sighed. It was true that Edge always threw the best parties but there was a lot to consider here.  
  
"I would love to go Trunks, really I would, but you know I'm still in trouble from the last time you dragged me to a party. My mom will kill me if she finds out I went to a party while still on punishment."  
  
Trunks sat back in his seat and turned his face skyward. "It's okay Goten. I understand. But…" he looked across the table directly into Goten's eyes, "I'm not sure Amber will."  
  
"Amber?!" Goten said eyes wide. Visions of the tall voluptuous red head with fiery green eyes quickly filtered into his brain.  
  
Trunks began examining his nails with great interest. "Yep. She seemed pretty excited when I told her you'd be there but I'm sure when I explain how afraid you are of your mom she'll understand. After all I hear she's into the sensitive type, you know?"  
  
"Wait a minute, Trunks. I didn't say I wasn't going-" Goten began.  
  
"Great," Trunks said with a triumphant smile, "so we'll stay here till dark and then I'll get Bra to put on one of her little shows. While everyone's oh-ing and ah-ing over how cute she is, we can slip away. If I know my mom, she'll have this party jumping all night, so when you get home your mom will think you just stayed at the party a little later than they did-"  
  
As Trunks rambled on about his plans, Goten sat dazed. He was doing it again. Every time he turned around Trunks had some new trouble-making scheme. You'd think the guy just sat in his room thinking of new ways to get them in trouble.  
  
"Hold it Trunks! I didn't say I was going, either," he protested.  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes and sighed. Leaning on the table between them, he said logically, "Look Goten, we both know you're gonna go, so you might as well just help me with the plans."  
  
Goten bit his lip. 'What am I going to do?'  
  
"Hi Trunks!"  
  
The two teens looked down their table at the little blond.  
  
"Hey Marron!" Trunks said with a smile. "Don't you look cute."  
  
Marron blushed and smiled shyly. "Thank you. It's a new outfit."  
  
"Well you look gorgeous. Right Goten?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," Goten answered shaking his head. It never ceased to amaze him how women of all ages seemed to flock to his buddy and how Trunks seemed completely oblivious to the fact. It was obvious to everyone that Krillin's only child was in love with the young prince and yet Trunks saw her as nothing more than a cute little family friend. Goten felt kind of sorry for the kid.  
  
"Trunks will you come help me carry some more bags of charcoal out?" Bulma called across the yard.  
  
"Sure mom. Be there in a sec." He turned to Marron. "If you'll excuse me, cutie, I have to go help my mom," he said making her giggle then turned to Goten, "Think about what I said. I'll be right back." He headed towards his house.  
  
Marron sighed as she watched him walk away then turned to Goten. "Isn't he cute?" she said dreamily.  
  
"Yeah, absolutely adorable," Goten said his voice dripping sarcasm that the lovesick little girl didn't seem to pick up on.  
  
To be honest, that pretty much summed up his buddy. The heartthrob, the troublemaker, and the eager-to-please son all wrapped in one. The guy was really something else. He sometimes wondered what his life would be like without him.  
  
Luckily he had never had to experience life without his best bud. Trunks was the first person he had ever met outside his mom and Gohan. He could still remember the day...  
  
He had been playing with his 'sound 'n play' toy in his playpen. He loved how when he pushed the big red button that it made a 'ding' sound. It held his attention for hours at a time. On this particular day he had been playing with it since forever it had seemed to his child's mind, when a shadow had fallen over the toy. He looked up to see a pair of blue eyes frowning down on him. He had smiled at the boy but he had continued to frown.  
  
"There you are, Trunks!" A lady with matching blue eyes had said as she walked up. "I see you already met Goten. Are you boys playing nicely?" she asked.  
  
The boy nodded.  
  
"Good!"  
  
His mom had walked up at that moment. "Well it would probably be a lot easier for them to play if I take Goten out of his pen," his mom had said. She lifted him out and placed him on the floor next to where the boy was standing. She put a ball in his lap then she and the lady with the pretty eyes had gone into the room with the food.  
  
He bounced the small ball a few times then looked up and offered it to the boy who had been watching him intently. The boy was hesitant at first then took the offering. He bounced it a couple of times then smiled down at him. Goten smiled back. He bounced it again, this time with more force than he intended and caused the ball to bounce all over the room. Both boys watched in wide-eyed wonder as it bounced from wall to wall and finally out the window.  
  
They simultaneously looked behind them to see if their moms had heard anything. They hadn't. The blue-eyed boy smiled at him strangely then. He walked over to the front door and reached for the knob but he was too short. The boy looked at him and waved him over. Goten looked around to see who he was talking to. When he realized it was him, he got on all fours and crawled over to the door. When he was parallel to the door, much to his surprise, the boy grabbed his head for balance and stepped onto his back. He then reached up and turned the knob.  
  
He climbed off of Goten's back. He smiled at Goten then walked outside in search of the ball. Goten tilted his had curiously and followed.  
  
They stumbled and crawled along the lush green grass of his yard. When they reached the edge of the forest they looked at each other. The boy's eyes seemed to dare him to continue then the boy walked into the forest. Goten looked back at his house then followed the boy. The rocks and sticks under his hands and knees felt strange, though they didn't hurt.  
  
He followed the boy until they reached a small bush. The boy held out his hand for him to wait then he walked into the brush. Goten sat on his diapered bottom and placed his thumb in his mouth. He tilted his head and stared at the bush until he heard a sound behind him. He turned and saw a big furry dog walking up behind him. At first he laughed, because he liked furry things, but then the animal growled at him and his little eyes widened.  
  
At that moment the boy stumbled out the bush, ball in hand and looked the scene before him. He quickly (well as quick as his stubby little legs would carry him) placed himself between Goten and the animal. He bared his teeth and began growling back at the animal. The dog backed down slightly but didn't completely retreat until Goten began growling too. When the animal was gone the two boys smiled at each other. The boy held up the ball and Goten giggled. Their merriment came to an end, though, when he heard his mom.  
  
"Bulma they're over here!" she called.  
  
They knew they were in trouble when the two women came running towards them. His mom swooped him up and hugged him to her chest.  
  
"Don't you ever do that to me again, Son Goten!" she said hugging him tighter.  
  
"You either Trunks, do you understand?" he heard the other woman say. He could only assume that the boy had nodded his head.  
  
Their moms carried them out of the forest and walked over to a shiny red car. The other mom turned and looked at his mom.  
  
"Well Chi, it looks like we've got a couple of trouble makers on our hands," she said with a smile.  
  
"Yeah. We're going to have to keep an eye on these two," his mom said hugging him again.  
  
"Well young man," the other mom said to the boy she was holding, "I think you've had enough fun for today. Say good bye to Goten."  
  
The boy smiled and waved.  
  
Goten giggled and waved back…  
  
Yes, even in their first meeting Trunks had gotten him into trouble. And as they got older, the trouble got bigger. Like last year when they had had a night on the town. Both packing fake IDs and both wanting nothing more than boobs, beer, and excitement. Trunks had got the boobs, he had got the beer, and they had spilt the excitement. He had come out of that one with several skillet marks from his mom and an extremely embarrassing henna tattoo on his ass that everyone except Vegeta (Thank God!) had seen. To this day he still couldn't look Bulma in the eye.  
  
Yeah, Trunks got him into a hell of a lot of trouble but damn…was it ever fun! He shook his head as he decided to go to the party. He was a complete idiot.  
  
He looked up to see Trunks on one knee talking to Bra. She nodded her head eagerly when he finished and Trunks mussed her hair making her giggle. He had forgotten devoted older brother in his description. Trunks stood up and walked back over to their table. He sat down next to Marron.  
  
"Hey cutie, Bra wants to talk to you. She said it was really important," he said smiling at the little girl.  
  
She looked disappointed at having to leave but got up anyway. She smiled and waved as she walked away, "Bye Trunks…oh, and Goten."  
  
"See ya, Marron," Trunks waved. He then turned to Goten. "Cute kid."  
  
"Yeah," Goten said. Poor kid was more like it.  
  
"Okay, Bra's all for helping us, so what's your decision?" he asked changing subjects.  
  
Goten sighed. "You knew all along I was going."  
  
Trunks gave that trademark smirk. "Yeah, I guess I did. Here's the deal, Bra's going to start singing and we just slip out the back. We'll take my dad's car-"  
  
"Vegeta's car!!!"  
  
"Come down. He never drives it. He'll never know it's gone. And if we pull up in a black Ferrari then Amber will be really impressed. We're going to have the best night Goten! You just watch!"  
  
Goten sighed. As long as Trunks was around, there was no hope for him.  
  
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I'm soooo sorry this took so long, please for give me. If you have a character you want me to do next just leave it in your review* hint hint ^_~*. I have all the ideas lined up I just don't know who to do next. Special thanks to Embermaxximus for the use of her fic. If you liked the idea about boobs, beer, and excitement (and that great tattoo) then checkout her fic The Mischief-Makers. It's absolutely hilarious. Anyway thanks for reading. 


	5. The Death of Me

Disclaimer: You know the deal people.  
  
AN: I did it! It's updated. I want to clear up something about this story. The picnic/Bar-B-Que is just a common ground for all the characters. The story, though, jumps around in time during the day. Sometimes it will be before or after or during the picnic, but the first one (Yamcha's) will (as you already know) be the beginning of the day and the last (for me to know and you to find out) will be the end of the day. Anyway enough of my blabber, on with the fic.  
  
* * *  
  
"No, No! A little more to the right. Okay a little back to the left. Oh, Oh, Oh! What if we put that table over there under that tree?!"  
  
Vegeta stopped and dropped the heavy picnic table where he stood. He then turned and frowned at his mate, who was standing in the doorway of the kitchen giving orders to her three slaves for the day.  
  
At his look Bulma promptly stopped her orders and smiled sweetly. "The table is just fine where it is, Vegeta. Thank you for your help."  
  
With a that's-what-I-thought grunt, Vegeta crossed his arms and walked across the lawn.  
  
"Okay, Trunks dear, move your table under the tree and Yamcha place yours next to Vegeta's," he heard her order as he walked away.  
  
Taking a spot under his regular tree, Vegeta stretched his legs out in front of him and silently watched the woman. She continued to give orders as she sampled the fork full of potato salad that her mother had just shoved into her face. She was determined to make this little get together of hers a success. As he thought of the party to come he almost sighed. She was going to owe him big time for sitting through this yet again. He watched her graceful movements and the gentle sway of her hips and he knew just how she would pay him. Tonight.  
  
His desire for her had not always been this strong. In fact it had been quite the opposite. The woman liked to delude herself into thinking that he had lusted after her at first sight. Nothing was further from the truth. True she had had the same amazing body and those same azure eyes that he now found so memorizing, but she hadn't been his type. He preferred women of a darker coloring and a much higher ki. Women who he knew wouldn't break if things got a little …rough.  
  
It had actually been the thing that turned most men off to her that had turned him on. Vegeta liked nothing better than a good fight and with Bulma Briefs around that was always something you could count on. Even in her weakness she refused to back down from a fight, throwing insults as well as Kakarot threw punches. Her temper and sharp tongue were very…Saiyan-jin. Actually it had been because she had been angry enough with him once to kill him that he had lain with her that first time. His lip turned up at the memory. She had turned out to be feisty in more than just the verbal sparring department.  
  
He didn't know when it had happened but soon his lust for her turned to something more. He couldn't put a name to it but it made him do stupid things. Things like giving his life for her. Today he could probably put a name to it. It was a name that she used towards him often. A name that he knew he would never use. He just didn't have it in him to.  
  
Small fingers snapping in his face interrupted his thoughts.  
  
"Daddy! Hey daddy, are you all right?" asked the concerned little voice.  
  
Vegeta frowned and shook away his thoughts. How long had he been sitting there? Several of the Z crew had already arrived. "I'm fine. What do you want girl?"  
  
Bra smiled. "I need your help daddy. The string on the back of my shirt keeps coming loose. Will you tie it?"  
  
Vegeta's frown deepened. "Of course not! That's what your mother is for."  
  
"But daddy she's busy! Please tie it for me!" those big blue eyes begged.  
  
Vegeta sighed. "Turn around," he commanded. Bra smiled and presented him her back.  
  
He quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching then tied the knot tight enough to ensure he wouldn't have to do it again.  
  
Bra smiled bright as she turned back to him. "Thank you daddy," she said as she leaned over and pecked her father's cheek. Vegeta recoiled. The child was way too emotional for her own good.  
  
That was her biggest problem. Her human side. It made her weak and frail, leaving him another woman to protect. He just didn't understand where the Saiyan-jin in her had gone. She held absolutely no desire to train and preferred shopping, hair, and clothes. He prayed that it was a phase that she would grow out of soon. If she didn't he would have to start training her against her will. Because she was going to need it.  
  
She had inherited more then just her coloring from her mother. She had that same fiery temper and sharp tongue (though the woman often accused him as being the donor parent) that was going to get her in trouble one day. She would need to know how to protect herself.  
  
But till the time came that she was ready he would just have to carry the burden of being her protector.  
  
He watched as she scurried across the yard and was stopped by the boy. He knelt before her and began talking directly into her ear. When she nodded eagerly and he patted her head, Vegeta knew something was wrong. What is that boy up to?  
  
He was about to go see for himself when the sent of food caught his nose. He turned to see the woman approaching with two plates piled high with food. He crossed his arms and watched her walk up the small hill that lead to his resting spot.  
  
Without hesitation she sat down next to him and stretched out her own legs. She sat one of the plates in his lap and held the other in hers.  
  
"I guess you're not going to join the party," she stated more than asked.  
  
"Do I ever?" he said as she handed him a fork.  
  
Bulma shrugged and watched as he began digging into his meal. When he had cleared half of the mountain of food he frowned at her. "You're not eating."  
  
"I already did. This one is for you, too," she said motioning to the plate in her lap.  
  
He nodded and continued to eat. When he finished his plate he sat it aside and held out his hand for the next one. Bulma handed it over. As he finished off the second plate, Bulma watched the sun began to set. He sat the second plate on top of the other and Bulma handed him a napkin. After he wiped his hands and mouth he discarded the napkin on top of the plate.  
  
"You didn't spar with Goku today," Bulma pointed out as they continued watching the sky.  
  
"I didn't feel like," was his simple reply.  
  
Bulma sighed contentedly and leaned her head on his shoulder. Oddly enough, Vegeta found no urge to shrug her off. And so they sat until the sun set.  
  
"Life is good," Bulma murmured. She took his silence as agreement.  
  
"BULMA! Bulma where are you?"  
  
Bulma lifted her head just as Videl came over the small hill. She knew him well enough to know he wouldn't take kindly to being seen in such an intimate position.  
  
"Oh," Videl blushed feeling like she was interrupting something. "Sorry but Bra want's to sing for everyone and she says she can't do it without momma and daddy there."  
  
"Children. The ultimate mood killer," Vegeta murmured for Bulma's ears only.  
  
Bulma chuckled softly and stood, stretching her muscles. "Come on your majesty, our princess await," Bulma said as she walked back to the picnic with Videl.  
  
Vegeta sighed then stood and followed.  
  
* * *  
  
Vegeta stood away from the group as he watched his daughter belt out other one. 'It's just a phase. Just a phase,' he promised himself. As the crowd cheered for her to do another one, the sound of a car starting caught Vegeta's ear. He turned slightly and frowned in the direction of the garage. 'What could that be?' he wondered.  
  
Silently he floated away from the group and over to the garage. He landed in the driveway just as the garage door opened and 'his' car came rolling out. He frowned as Trunks slammed on the brakes and stopped the car inches from hitting him.  
  
He saw Goten's eyes widened in fear as he walked around the car and stopped just as the driver side door opened.  
  
"Dad!" Trunks exclaimed as he stepped out the car. "Where've you been? I haven't seen you since before the picnic."  
  
Vegeta was not to be side tracked. "What do you think you're doing?"  
  
"Who me?" Trunks said innocently.  
  
Vegeta only waited.  
  
Trunks sighed. "Look dad, there's this really great party going on across town. Goten and me really want to go."  
  
"Last I heard you were grounded," Vegeta stated.  
  
"Dad come on. It's just one little party. Think about what you have to gain if we go. Bra will probably go with Pan tonight, so you'll have a completely kid-free house. Think about the possibilities," Trunks offered enticingly.  
  
Vegeta knew a con when he heard one. Especially with this kid. He'd had a lot of practice.  
  
"And if your mother finds out?" Vegeta questioned.  
  
"She won't. I swear. So will you cut us some slack? Please dad," those same blue eyes pleaded. Damn, he was lost when it came to those eyes.  
  
"I never saw you," Vegeta warned.  
  
Trunks smiled. "Thanks dad," he said climbed back into the car.  
  
"Boy," Vegeta called.  
  
"Yes dad."  
  
"If you wreck my car, your ass is grass."  
  
"Sure thing," Trunks said as he put the car in drive and was gone.  
  
Vegeta watched as the car disappeared around the bend.  
  
Between the boy, the girl, and the woman, they would be the death of him. And to be honest he wouldn't have it any other way.  
  
* * *  
  
Don't forget: You + Review = Update. Thanks for reading. 


	6. Beautiful Offering

Disclaimer: Nothing funny here today. Maybe tomorrow.  
  
AN: Don't say it. It's been awhile, I know. Just think of any excuse you would accept and that's the reason this update is so late. This chapter is dedicated to hippiechick (or hippiechick83 depending on what site you're on ^_^) because without her constant reminders about this fic I would have let it fall to the waste side and started on something new. (I know what you're thinking, Mar. I skipped When You Least Expect in the update rotation but I promise it's coming. Really maybe even tomorrow and if not then soon. ^_^) Well enjoy this long awaited update.  
  
* * *  
  
"Geez you two are going to take all the bar-b-que before anyone else gets a chance at it," Yamcha, the self-proclaimed master of the grill, complained as he forked another piece of meat onto Bulma's second plate.  
  
"Would you have preferred if we sent Goku and Vegeta to get their own plates," ChiChi said ideally as she grabbed a third plastic plate.  
  
Yamcha visibly shuddered in his 'Kiss the Cook' apron and shook his head. "Then all the food really would be gone."  
  
"Well I think I have enough to sate," Bulma said hefting the two plates up into her hands. "Thanks Yamcha!" She threw a wink over her shoulder as she walked away.  
  
ChiChi did a quick calculation and decided that another plate would keep her from having to come back for about thirty minutes. She held up an empty plate as she looked over the other two making sure that her math was right. She frowned when no weight touched the plate and looked up to find Yamcha still staring after a disappearing Bulma. Clearing her throat, she brought him out of his daze.  
  
"I'm sorry Chi. How much more did you want?" he asked blushing slightly at having been caught.  
  
"Fill it up," she said giving him a narrowed glance before she mentally shrugged. It was obvious to her, if not to anyone else, that the man still had a thing for his old flame and things being what they were she couldn't help but pity him. It was a simple fact that no mere human could compete with a Saiyan, something she knew all too well.  
  
"Thanks Yamcha," she said when the plate was piled to almost overflow. Now that she had all the food she was at a loss as to how to balance them all over to her husband.  
  
"Need some help?"  
  
ChiChi turned and smiled at her youngest child. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Help me take these over to your father."  
  
"K," he answered in that ever-cheerful voice of his and took two of the heavily laden plates.  
  
As they made their way across the yard dodging individual picnic areas, ChiChi glanced at the handsome young man next to her. To be completely honest she didn't really know what to make of this teen she liked to call her baby. Goten hadn't turned out like she expected nor had he even been necessarily wanted.  
  
As a matter of fact she had cursed God above everyday of her pregnancy. Here she was once again a widow with now not only one but two children to support on no income and little savings. It was as though heaven was playing some cruel joke on her. As with her first the pregnancy carrying the burden had been hard on her and labor twice as difficult now that she was much older.  
  
It had taken almost a week and a half before she recovered enough to care for herself. Bulma, who had found herself in much the same predicament a little more than a year ago, stayed with her until she was back on her feet. In the whole of Bulma's stay ChiChi had only looked upon her new child a handful of times. It was much too difficult for her to do otherwise. From the day of his birth the child had been the spitting image of his much grieved father and just the sight of the baby made her heart ache to immeasurable proportions. It was for this reason she left the care of the new born completely to Bulma. Of course the time eventually came when the heiress had to return to her own demanding child.  
  
The memory of that first night when she once again found herself alone with her children was crystal clear. The Child, as she referred to him in her mind's eye, had been screaming for hours and Gohan even came in her room complaining about it. After sending her future scholar back to bed, she laid in the darkness trying to ignore his desperate wails but her maternal instincts wouldn't allow her to let her offspring suffer. Hesitant and grudgingly she left the safety of her bed to conquer her worst nightmare.  
  
Upon entering her sons' room she found Gohan's bed empty and could only assume that he was unable to deal with the babe's sobs and had chosen to make his bed elsewhere, most likely the couch. She approached the crib as if at any moment the demons of her past would rise from it. All the while, The Child cried on demanding that someone hear his plea.  
  
When her shadow finally fell over the crib his howls tapered off somewhat as he reached out to her. She held the front of her robe in a death grip as she looked over his soft features and the memories of the love, time, and dedication put into a marriage that had ended so terribly wrong began to flow. She was powerless to stop the bitter tear that rolled down her cheek.  
  
"Oh Goku," she stuttered as she reached out and stroked the youth's cheek. The action brought his weeps to shuddery breaths as he clasped his tiny, yet already strong hand around one of her fingers. "It wasn't supposed to be this way," she spoke to her long since dead husband through the child he would never know. "Why Goku?!" she practically screamed at The Child. "Why didn't you just come back? Why?! W-why?" she finished on a broken sob, the crib her only support.  
  
The Child focused his damp, blank gaze on her throughout the tirade and when she could say no more, his tiny fist squeezed her trembling finger. In that moment she felt a sense of peace and comfort that had only been hers when she found herself in her beloved's arms and through glassy eyes she finally saw what The Child really was. He wasn't a curse sent to taunt her with what she could never get back but was instead a beautiful offering from above meant to remind her of all she had and still had. He was a reason for her to go on.  
  
With renewed clarity, she carefully lifted her child from his bed. Cradling her baby to her breast, she settled herself into the rocking chair near the window and after pushing aside one flap of her robe she nursed her precious gift for the first time.  
  
The guilt from the way she treated her adored child in the first days of his life had never really gone away and was a major factor when it came to why she was more leant on him than on her first born. She had never thought to pressure him academically and had even trained him when-  
  
"Here you go Pop," the child in question voice broke into her thoughts as he sat the plates before his father.  
  
"Thanks Goten!" Goku said as he pulled the plates across the table to himself.  
  
ChiChi walked around the table to sit the one she was carrying in front of him.  
  
"Thanks ChiChi," he said his mouth already full of the half the food from one of Goten's plates.  
  
"You're welcome Goku," she answered then let out a small squeak of surprise as Goku pulled her into his lap and planted a bar-b-que sauce covered peck on her cheek.  
  
"You're the best Chi," he said sincerely as she blushed at the compliment.  
  
Goten, who had taken a seat across from them, took the opportunity to steal a rib off one of his father's plates.  
  
Goku's attention immediately snapped from his wife and back to his plate. "Hey!" he cried.  
  
"Come on Dad. You've got to learn to share," Goten admonished as he finished off the stolen meat.  
  
"Well okay, but only under one condition," Goku said grudgingly.  
  
"What's that?" Goten asked as he stole another piece of meat.  
  
"Sparring match when we get home from the picnic?" Goku purposed.  
  
The meat paused inches from the young warrior's mouth. "Uh, sorry Dad I can't."  
  
"Oh and why is that?" ChiChi asked.  
  
"Well, I uh, what I mean is that I'm going to stay 'til the party is over and help Trunks clean-up afterwards," Goten finished in a rush.  
  
ChiChi narrowed her eyes. It was obvious that the boy was up to something and she'd bet her last dollar that it had something to do with Trunks Briefs. Originally she hadn't approved of her son's friendship with the other boy. Trunks was definitely his parents' son in the fact that he was spoiled, arrogant, self-centered, and simply couldn't stay out of trouble. Their friendship was also indirectly to blame for her decision to train her son.  
  
She was finishing up the lunch dishes when she heard the six-year-old enter the house. She smiled at him over her shoulder and watched as he dropped heavily into a chair at the kitchen table an uncommon frown on his face.  
  
"Where's Gohan?" he asked.  
  
"Studying," she answered as she dried her hands on a towel.  
  
"Figures," she heard him mumble.  
  
Frowning her concern she sat the towel down and turned to face him. "I thought you were playing with Trunks."  
  
"He had to go home," Goten responded sadly.  
  
Confusion crossed her brown eyes. "I didn't hear Bulma's plane."  
  
"He flew," Goten shrugged receiving a startled look from his mother. "His Dad taught him. His Dad teaches him a lot of cool stuff. I wish I had a Dad to teach me stuff," he finished on a disheartened sigh and rested his little chin on the table.  
  
ChiChi was too stunned speak. Goten had never shown any sign that he was missing a father figure in his life. She guessed that she had only been deluding herself whenever she thought he wouldn't yearn for the man of which she and Gohan rarely spoke.  
  
"Oh Goten," she murmured as she slipped into a seat next to him and rested a gentle hand on top of his much smaller one.  
  
His dark innocent eyes turned to her and he gave a childish shrug. "I know that my dad was a hero and everything but I still kind of wish that I had someone to teach me stuff like Trunks does."  
  
ChiChi nipped at the inside of her lip. Maybe she should have broached this sooner. "Your right Goten. There should be someone to teach you all the things your father isn't able to. What if I knew someone who could? Would you like that?"  
  
The light returned to the boy's eyes for the first time since he entered the room. "Boy would I! I wanted to ask Gohan but he's always busy with his studies. I asked Trunks to ask his dad to do it but Trunks said he wasn't even sure his dad liked training him so-"  
  
ChiChi quickly waved her hands to stop the demi-Saiyan's ramblings. "I wasn't talking about Gohan and heaven knows I definitely wasn't referring to Vegeta. I meant me, Goten."  
  
His eyes widened at her words and then he frowned. "Ah, Mom, you can't train me! Girls don't know how to fight."  
  
"Of course they do! I'll have you know that I was once the greatest female warrior around," she stated.  
  
"Really?" Goten asked between disbelief and wonder. At her nod his frown surprisingly deepened. "Well, you still can't train me. Whenever we spar you'll take it easy on me because I'm your son."  
  
"I never took it easy on your father so why would I on you?" she asked with a small smile already knowing his reaction.  
  
"You sparred with Dad?" he asked in awe.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Wow," her son murmured truly impressed. "Will you tell me about it?" he asked.  
  
Smiling she reached over and pulled her baby into her lap. "Well it all started when we both entered the World Martial Arts Tournament. We'd met before but hadn't seen each other for a very long time-"  
  
She spent the next few hours recounting tales from her youth and fielding every question that her enthusiastic child would ask about his father. She would honestly have to say it was the single most enjoyable afternoon she'd had in a long time.  
  
"Well maybe tomorrow then," Goku shrugged as he began eating from his plate again around her. The sound of her husband's voice snapped her mind from the adorable baby her child had once been and brought her back to the scheming teen she knew he was being at the moment.  
  
Before she could further question his evening plans, however, he quickly stood and mumbled some incomprehensible excuse and then was gone.  
  
"That boy is up to something," ChiChi thought out loud.  
  
Goku swallowed the last of his meal and then licked his lips clean. "Probably but I'm sure he'll be fine," he said nonchalantly.  
  
She turned back to him with a raised brow. "Oh and how do you know that?"  
  
He leaned forward and gave her a small peck on the lips before saying, "Well I'm always fine. And like you always say Chi, he's a lot like me."  
  
ChiChi chuckled at the simple logic and leaned in to lengthen the kiss murmuring, "That he is, Goku. That he is."  
  
* * *  
  
I'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out. I think ChiChi is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters to write about. Well let me know what you think and if you want to be on the mailing list for this fic just leave your request and e-mail address in your review. Thanks for reading. 


	7. The Girl

Disclaimer: Hi!  
  
An: It feels so great to be writing again. Oh and if you updated something while I was gone and you told me but I haven't reviewed yet, have no fear I'm coming. I'm just having trouble catching up but I will. Anyway enjoy this chapter of Relationships.  
  
* * *  
  
Videl ran her fingers through her hair one last time before shutting the visor. She was acutely aware of a pair of eyes focused on her and she glanced at her husband in the driver's seat.  
  
"Problem?" she asked arching a brow.  
  
"No it's just that you're turning into such a girl," Gohan said slightly amused.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" she asked more confused than anything.  
  
"He means you took forever getting dressed today," Pan piped up from the back seat.  
  
"Oh and exactly what was I before I made this miraculous transformation into a girl as you put it?" she asked her own amusement starting to show.  
  
Gohan only shrugged and returned his attention to the road but Pan seemed to have her own theory. "You were a warrior! The best around! Now you're turning over to the dark side," she finished in a ghoulish whisper.  
  
Neither Videl nor Gohan could contain their chuckles at the little girl's tone as they pulled into the front drive of Capsule Corp.  
  
"Everybody out," Gohan announced as he shut off the engine.  
  
"Finally," Pan murmured as she reached for the door handle only to be stopped by her mother's voice.  
  
"Pan try not to get in a fight with Bra today, please?" Videl pleaded.  
  
"Why would I fight with Bra? She's my best friend," Pan grew over her shoulder as she hopped out the car.  
  
Videl rolled her eyes and looked at Gohan who was only shaking his head. She moved to follow the little girl out but a hand caught her arm. As she was pulled up against her husband's chest Videl smiled up at him. "Need something?" she asked.  
  
He nodded as he lowered his mouth to hers and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he kissed her deeply. Moments passed before he finally pulled away from her and place one finally peck on her nose. "All right that's all I wanted," he said as he released her and climbed out the car. Videl shook her head and followed. When she met him in front car, he wrapped an arm around her waist and they moved towards the backyard together.  
  
She had to say that her daughter's statement did hold some merit. As a girl she'd been a tomboy in a sense and had never considered playing mommy and wife. It wasn't that she didn't like or want all that stuff really it was just that she'd never thought about it before. She always figured that home, hearth and family would come to her somewhere in her late thirties when all the crime fighting was done and she had everything else settled. But then she had met Gohan Son.  
  
Since the first day she met him she'd been drawn to him though she told herself it was because she knew he was hiding something. From the Great Saiyaman through all that stuff Buu, immersing herself in his world had changed her very outlook on life. And probably most importantly he changed her views on love. Here she was not even out of high school yet and she was so deeply in love she wasn't sure it was real sometimes. She could remember when teenage romance had bloomed into full out everlasting love.  
  
It was a day much like this one about a month before graduation. That sunny day found them sparring in the very same field in which he had taught her and his little brother to fly in. She threw blow after blow at him each of which he blocked easily yet not with his usual enthusiasm. In attempt to get his attention she gave a swift kick to his shin. Normally he would have blocked the move but just as she thought he really wasn't paying her any mind. As he leaned over to rub the spot more out of reaction than actual pain, she flopped down on the grass in the pretense of anger when really she just needed a break.  
  
"You know Gohan, if you're not going to really spar with me I can find another partner."  
  
He quickly shook his head as he sat down facing her. "No that's okay! Really! I just have a lot of stuff on my mind that's all."  
  
"Oh yeah? Want to share?" she asked stretching out on her back enjoying the soft grass beneath her.  
  
He paused a moment before saying, "Yeah I think I would. Have you thought about us?"  
  
"What about us?" she asked watching the clouds above float by.  
  
"Well, like, us taking the next step in, well, our relationship," he stuttered blushing slightly.  
  
She frowned for a moment then her eyes widened and she sat up straight. "You mean, like sex?" she asked in a stunned whisper.  
  
His face went cherry as he quickly backtracked. "Well, um, eventually, I guess, but that's not what I meant at this particular moment."  
  
She didn't know why she felt so disappointed. "Oh, well, what do you mean?"  
  
Gohan cleared his throat nervously a few times before looking her in the eyes. "Well lately I've been thinking a lot about Majin Buu and I just keep remembering how bad I felt when Goten told me that, well, that you were gone. I think, no, I know it made me stronger when I was fighting to bring you back. You understand what I'm saying?"  
  
Of course she understood. She had never felt pain like that that had hit her the day Goku had told them all he was dead. It had been the first time she'd cried in years and her heart had refused to believe it was true. She never wanted to feel an agony like that again and it was this thought that made her finally realize what he was talking about.  
  
"Oh man this isn't going how I expected," he mumbled.  
  
"Gohan are you talking about marriage?" she asked in disbelief.  
  
Her tone seemed to throw him off and he quickly averted his eyes. "Never mind. It was a stupid idea. Just forget I said anything," he quickly babbled as he started to stand.  
  
Grabbing his arm, she pulled him back down into his former seat. "No, no, it's a great idea. I mean, I like it. I mean it's a good idea but only if you're for sure."  
  
His face brightened and a half smile half smirk crossed his features. "Well I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't for sure."  
  
A smile graced her own lips as she answered, "Well you didn't exactly ask. You more stumbled than anything."  
  
His face became very serious suddenly as if he was determined to get this right and he took her hand. "Videl Satan will you marry me?"  
  
She couldn't help a blush as she nodded eagerly.  
  
They sat just smiling at one another for a moment before she finally spoke. "So do you want to spar some more?"  
  
"Yeah sure," he shrugged as he stood and helped her to her feet.  
  
Every time that memory came to her she couldn't help but smile.  
  
"What are you so happy about?" Gohan asked wondering at the way her face had lit up, though he wasn't complaining.  
  
"Nothing," she answered as they stepped into the back yard of Capsule Corp.  
  
"Sure doesn't look like nothing," he asked truly curious now.  
  
"No, that doesn't look like nothing," she said pointing at a scene across the yard. They hadn't been there even five minutes and already her little raven-haired child was in a screaming match with the Bulma-clone formerly known as her best friend.  
  
Gohan shook his head as he pulled her in the opposite direction. "Don't question it. It will work itself out. In the meantime, you can come dance with me," he informed her.  
  
"Dance?"  
  
"Yes as in the rhythmic movement to a beat such as that coming from the stereo over there."  
  
Videl glanced at the make shift dance floor where Krillin was attempting what appeared to be dancing with Launch then turned back to her spouse. "Very funny smart ass but I happen to know what dancing is. You, on the other hand, don't."  
  
"Are you trying to say that I can't dance?" Gohan asked clearly insulted.  
  
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Videl answered sweetly.  
  
"Well I guess I'll just have to prove you wrong," he smiled as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the dance floor.  
  
For the next twenty minutes, Gohan spun her around the dance floor and much to her surprise hadn't stepped on her toes a single time. He was always doing that, surprising her. But he did so much more. He delighted, enthralled, excited, and all around brought her her very joy. Simply put, he made her happy. It was because of him that the most wonderful moment of her life had been so beautiful.  
  
The delivery had been hard and at certain points she had been sure she was going to die. ChiChi and Bulma had sat on either side of her whispering their encouragement. This Saiyan birthing stuff was a piece of cake they had both lied gently. Now it was all over and as her mother-in-law placed the tiny bundle in her arms she felt tears well in her eyes. This little creature was the physical manifestation of the greatest love she had ever known and the maternal urges that washed over her were far surpassing anything she had ever read in the maternity books she'd been addicted to for the last eight months.  
  
"Up to feeding her?" ChiChi asked softly.  
  
She nodded and let the older mother show her how to adjust her shirt and help the baby attach herself to the nipple. The suck pressure on her tender breast was painful at first but if that was the price demanded for the utter jubilation she felt, she was more than happy to pay it.  
  
So wrapped up in the first feeding of her new child was she that she didn't even hear him come in. It was when he reached out to stroke the baby's cheek that she realized that he was sitting in a chair next to the bed.  
  
"She's so tiny," he murmured in awe.  
  
"Think we can keep from breaking her?" she joked lightly.  
  
Gohan looked at her then and her breath caught in her throat. "You're so beautiful," he whispered sincerely and for the second time that day tears of joy filled her eyes. He leaned in to capture her lips in loving kiss and she knew then that her life was perfect.  
  
The memory faded as Gohan dipped her so low that her head almost touched the floor. "Gohan!" she giggled.  
  
She lifted her head just as he leaned down towards her. "Told ya I could dance," he gloated.  
  
"All right you proved me wrong but don't get use to it because it won't happen again," she teased.  
  
He narrowed his eyes playfully at her for a moment then looked at something above her head. Videl tipped her head back and looked up into a pair of azure eyes that blinked at her curiously.  
  
"Something wrong Bra?" she asked.  
  
"I need your help," Bra whined.  
  
Gohan sat her on her feet and they both focused their attention on the little girl. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I can't find my mom and dad!"  
  
Videl scanned the area and saw that Bulma and Vegeta were indeed missing. "Well I'm sure they're around here somewhere."  
  
"But I have to find them now! I have to sing and plus," she looked around and waved them closer as she dropped her tone. "I'm on a secret mission."  
  
Gohan raised a brow. "This secret mission wouldn't happen to have anything to do with those nuckleheads we call our brothers, would it?"  
  
"I can't say. It's a secret," Bra said sweetly.  
  
"Well we'll help you find them. Come on Gohan," Videl said.  
  
"No!" Bra almost screamed. "I mean if you two go together you'll be making kissy faces and never find them! Videl I think you should go up that hill over there and Gohan you go check around the grill. My daddy's always near the food."  
  
Gohan and Videl smirked at each other. "Well I guess we have our orders," Gohan commented. With one last peck on her cheek he headed towards the grill area. Videl shrugged and started toward her designated hill.  
  
The sun was setting and just as she came over the hilltop she could make out two figures, one leaning on the other. Feeling like an intruder, she made her footsteps a little heavier and more obvious. The two immediately broke apart and she smiled shyly at them.  
  
"Oh," she blushed. "Sorry but Bra want's to sing for everyone and she says she can't do it without momma and daddy there."  
  
Vegeta murmured something to Bulma and she chuckled softly before standing. "Come on your majesty, our princess await," she told him over her shoulder as they started back down the hill together.  
  
They were quiet a few minutes of the walk back before Bulma sighed contentedly. "How did two girls like us every get so lucky?" she asked her companion as she stared up at the lingering remnants of the fading sun.  
  
Videl scanned the yard and her eyes were immediately attracted to her husband roughhousing with their daughter. The swell in her heart was something she couldn't deny.  
  
"To be completely honest Bulma I don't know," she told the other woman.  
  
Bulma smiled and wrapped an arm around the younger girl's shoulders. "Neither do I," she agreed as they made their final descent back to the picnic area.  
  
* * *  
  
Man these last few ones have been all sappy and sentimental. I think I need some comedy for the next chapter and I only know one person capable of it. I bet you guys think you know who it is but you have no idea. Thanks for reading. 


	8. Lessons in Forgiveness

Disclaimer: hmmmm.  
  
AN: I know it's been a while since I updated but there is a good reason (this time ^_~). I bought car!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!! So updates have taking a back seat to me driving every opportunity that I can get. But now that I've gotten over the initial excitement of it things should pick up. I hope *sweatdrop*.  
  
* * *  
  
"That's because YOU'RE STUPID!!!" With one last taunting flick of her tongue, the blue hared princess turned her back on her fuming "best" friend and started across the yard.  
  
Who needed Pan anyway? She had much better ways of having fun one for instance being pissing off her Dad. She paused in her step and giggled at her mental use of the word. Piss was a new word for her. Trunks had taught it to her. Trunks always taught her the best stuff.  
  
Now what was she doing- oh yeah her Dad, that's right. She quickly scanned the area and it was a moment before she spotted him sitting against a tree on a hill. Now that her target had been spotted all she had to do was think of a seemingly suitable reason to interrupt his solitude. She considered complaining to him about the fight with Pan but she'd already done that before. She knew he wouldn't like repeating himself especially since he'd said some pretty nice things. That had really had been some conversation.  
  
She stomped into the kitchen with her arms folded over her chest. She only unwrapped them when she had to use both stubby little appendages to climb up into the chair next to her father. She recrossed them and scowled up at him as he continued to munch down his lunch paying her no mind. Her gaze dug into his profile until he finished the last bite of his sandwich. He brushed his hands together then looked at her expectantly.  
  
"Why are the Sons so stupid?" she asked, her little frown deepening.  
  
"You've just answered your own question. Because they are Sons," he answered.  
  
She grunted. "Well I don't think I should be forced to talk to Pan anymore. She is at the highest level of -um- stupidness," she finally decided pretty happy with her word selection.  
  
Vegeta frowned. "We're going to have to work on your vocabulary, child."  
  
"Huh?" she blinked.  
  
Vegeta quickly shook his head. "Never mind. Why are you angry with this girl?"  
  
Bra took a big breath and, "Well I wanted to go to the Disney movie and she said that that was stupid and that she wanted to go to some action movie with a lot of blood and guts and I said no and she said yes and I told her she was a tomboy and she told me I was weak and so I stepped on her foot and came in here," then she exhaled.  
  
Vegeta blink at the sentence. "Oh," he said not sure if she actually expected him to understand all that.  
  
"So now I'm never, ever going to speak to another Son again. They're not worth my time," she proclaimed with a very royal air about her. She didn't see her father's smirk of amusement.  
  
"I wouldn't be so hasty," Vegeta said once his amusement ebbed.  
  
"Look Daddy, you said it yourself they're stupid-"  
  
"I know and I meant it but you have to consider your heritage."  
  
"Huh?" she quoted herself obviously lost.  
  
Vegeta sighed heavily. "It's your roots girl. What you came from."  
  
"I knew that," she said stubbornly then bit her lip looking more like her mother than ever. Finally she sighed and looked up at him again. "You mean like from a tree?"  
  
He groaned then looked at her closely as if to see if she was toying with him. "No, child," he finally said. "Like us, they come from a mighty people. It is through this common heritage that we are, unfortunately, link to them from here on out. Why else do you think I continue to speak to Kakarot? And he's much more moronic than any of his offspring."  
  
That was not the answer she wanted. It made her wrong. "But Daddy! We're royalty! We shouldn't be force to talk to commoners!"  
  
"You're right. We shouldn't but you will be awfully bored if you don't talk to Gohan's girl." He stood then picking up his plate and moving to sink as he spoke his final words of advice. "But do whatever you what. You are the princess after all. It doesn't effect me one way or the other if you have friends or not."  
  
Her frown deepened at the thought of having no friends. "Daddy!" she called when he was almost out the door.  
  
He stopped and looked to her with an impatient expression.  
  
"I think I'm going to talk to Pan," she decided.  
  
The left corner of his mouth turned up slightly. "So be it." And then he was gone.  
  
She frowned a little at the memory. She shouldn't have forgiven Pan that day. It was true that they had had a great time at the movies that night and Videl had been nice enough to take them to both movies but if she hadn't listened to him she wouldn't have fought with Pan a few minutes ago. She figured that gave her just cause to annoy him. But she still needed a reason to give him. She thought to untie her shoe and make him do it but then she remembered she didn't have shoestrings. She decided to go with the next best thing. Reaching behind her she undid the tie on the back of her shirt.  
  
Satisfied with her work she began to skip up the hill. Reaching the top she was a little surprised by her find. Her father was resting against the tall tree with his eyes closed, completely oblivious to the world around him. She got kind of nervous at first. She'd never seen her father at rest out side of his bedroom. What if something horrible had happened like a deadly spider had bitten him and now he was only seconds from death?!  
  
Gasping, she hurried over to him and began snapping her little fingers in his face as she cried, "Daddy?! Daddy wake up! Daddy?"  
  
His eyes snapped open with their usual awareness and he frowned deeply at her causing her to sigh in relief. "Daddy! Hey daddy, are you all right?" she asked just to be safe.  
  
"I'm fine. What do you want girl?"  
  
Now that her relief that he was still alive settled in she went back to her original plan of action. "I need your help Daddy," she started surpy sweet. "The string on the back of my shirt keeps coming loose. Will you tie it?"  
  
She'd expected the fierce resistance that across his face. It made her even more determined to prove that she could make him do it.  
  
"Of course not!" he growled. "That's what your mother is for." The stubborn crossing of his arms almost made her laugh. He knew he was going to lose. Why didn't he just give up?  
  
"But daddy she's busy! Please tie it for me!" she begged batting her big blue eyes at him. The disgust never left his face as he huffed in defeat. "Turn around," he commanded. Bra smiled as she considered making up some excuse why he should get up and walk around her instead. Mental shrugging she decided to let him keep some of his pride. Today anyway.  
  
She turned her back to him then smirked as she felt him tie it as tight as he could without actually hurting her. She smiled brightly as she turned back to him. "Thank you Daddy," she said as she leaned over and put the icing on the cake with a peck on his cheek. She had to cover her smile at his recoil. She knew he liked it when she kissed him and she fully intended to do it every opportunity she got until he admitted it.  
  
And there was nothing he could do about it.  
  
As she skipped back down the hill, she thought more about her father. To her he was nothing more than a big pushover and she always found it funny when people like Marron's dad for instance seemed afraid of him. She didn't have the fingers or toes to count how many times she had twisted her Dad around her finger for no other reason than the sake of doing it. She personally thought that if there was anyone in her house to be feared it was her mom because she was the only person who ever really punished her.  
  
The thing that people didn't seem to understand about her dad was that even though he got angry at the drop of a hat that he was really all talk and no show. She could still remember one time when her mom had gone out of town that was proof positive of this.  
  
It was about ten o'clock and she was now all tucked into bed after having gotten to stay up extra late. She was feeling in a pretty good mood and thought it would be great to have a little fun.  
  
"DADDY!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and waited with her hands laced across her chest above her soft pink blanket.  
  
When the obviously concerned father stopped in front of her door she smiled softly at him. "I just wanted to tell you that Trunks tucked me and Mrs. Bun-Buns in," she politely informed him, motioning towards the pink bunny resting comfortably next to her.  
  
His concern was immediately replaced by an angry scowl. "Is that why you are screeching at me like a banshee?! To tell me something I already know and honestly couldn't careless about?"  
  
She stuck out her bottom lip. "I was only trying to help. Mommy said everyone had to pitch in while she was gone. I thought you'd like to know."  
  
She could see him almost physically reign in his anger. "Very well child. I'm going to bed and I don't want to hear anything more from you, understand?"  
  
"Yes Daddy," she said sweetly.  
  
His narrowed slits eyed her suspiciously before he left the room turning off the light as he went. At this point in her short life, her mom had been teaching her how to count to hundred. She decided that she could use tonight as good practice with this new knowledge.  
  
"-a hundred," she breathed in a soft whispered that was immediately followed by, "DADDY!!"  
  
He was there once again in a flash. After flicking the light switch, he glanced around the room as if screeching for some great danger but only found her smiling at him from her cozy position beneath her blankets. "This had better be good," he growled.  
  
"Oh it is Daddy!" she said nodding her head fiercely. "You didn't give me a kiss goodnight."  
  
She had never seen so much fury in one gaze and she'd have to say she'd never had so much fun either.  
  
She could almost hear his teeth grinding together. "I've never kissed you goodnight before," he stated dangerously.  
  
"I know but Mommy always does and she said that while she was gone that you were the Mommy," she explained logically.  
  
His expression was unlike anything she had ever seen before. "Go to sleep, now," he said very slowly.  
  
"But I can't without my kiss," she whined letting tears fill her eyes. Hey, she was getting pretty good at this crying stuff.  
  
With a half growl groan of aggravation he stomped over to her bed and placed a rough, almost painful, peck on her forehead. "I don't want to hear your voice again tonight," he told her harshly before pulling away and once again exiting closing the door firmly in final warning.  
  
She lay there in the dark considering her next move. She wanted him to be all the way in bed this time but she could only count to hundred. Sighing at the inconvenience, she decided that if she counted to one hundred five times then maybe he'd be in bed.  
  
"One hundred," she muttered for the fifth time then filled her lungs with air before in a shrill screech belted out, "DADDY!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
She hadn't even seen the door open before she was hauled up by the back of her nightgown and found herself dangling face to face with terror.  
  
"You seem to be under the impression that I won't kill you," he told her.  
  
"I really have something important to say this time!" she said as she giggled at her awkward position.  
  
"Then spit it out!"  
  
"I love you Daddy!"  
  
"Is that all?!" he demanded.  
  
She thought hard for a moment before nodding. "Yep!" When he released her she landed face first on her bed with a soft thump. She looked back at him just as he stopped in the doorway.  
  
"Just one more sound and you can kiss that sweet little con artist butt of yours goodbye, am I understood?!"  
  
Even she wasn't daring enough to mess with her father when he got that look. "Yes Daddy," she whispered. Maybe she had pushed it a little too far tonight.  
  
He walked out the room without shutting the door this time. She climbed back beneath her covers snuggled into her pillow. She wisely decided it was really time for bed. And that's when she heard it.  
  
The loud clap of thunder was unlike anything she had ever heard in her life. Her room was brightened considerably when the first splash of lighting illuminated the night sky. She squeaked her fright and ducked her terrified little head under the blanket. She trembled beneath the covering trying to remember what her daddy had told her about storms.  
  
"I have nothing to be afraid of," she whispered bravely but then the room lit again followed by another loud rumble. She barely contained her scream as she grabbed her pink bunny and ran from the room.  
  
She peeked her head in the door next to hers and whispered urgently, "Trunkssss," into the darkened room. When no answer returned she tiptoed all the way in. It was when she reached the bed and pulled back the covers that she realized he wasn't there. She began gnawing the inside of her lip as she squeezed the bunny tighter. Trunks was her last resort. If she couldn't sleep with him tonight she'd have to face her dad again after all the torture she'd put him through. She shuddered at the thought. Maybe sleeping alone wouldn't be so bad.  
  
Her opinion quickly changed at the flash of light that lit her brother's room.  
  
She ran as quickly as her little legs would carry her down the hall to her parent's room. She paused at the door only long enough to hear another violent roar from outside before pushing her way through the door. Her approach to the bed was slow and finally she stopped fearfully at the head of the bed.  
  
The soft, "Daddyyyy," that she spoke to all the bravery she had left and she actually jumped back in fear when he began to stir. When he finally turned his head to her, the urge to kill lit his eyes and they pinned her to the floor. "Ummm," she started in a quivery diminutive tone. His dark slits narrowed on her and she felt her bottom lip begin to tremble. Unable to form the right words under that penetrating gaze, she glanced at the window, her glassy eyes pleading for his help.  
  
His brows knitted momentarily then he let his eyes wonder to the window. The clash of lighting and thunder and the little 'epp' that came from her direction seemed to explain all. With a disgusted roll of his eyes, he lifted the blanket that had been wrapped tightly around him.  
  
Her sigh of relief hadn't even floated into the darkened room before she jumped into the bed and snuggled against his warm chest. "Thank you, Daddy," she whispered as he wrapped an arm around her. His only response was a grunt.  
  
That little memory was evidence that her dad wasn't as bad as people tried to make him. She knew that if someone had treated her the way she had treated him that night she would never have let them sleep with her. To her there was no bigger proof of what a great daddy she had. Trunks may teach her all the best words but her dad always taught her the best lessons. Like those in forgiveness.  
  
"Hey princess!"  
  
Her thoughts strayed from her father as she smiled up at her brother. "Hi Trunks!"  
  
He squatted down in front of her with mischief dancing in his eyes. "You were thinking awfully hard kiddio, must've been plotting something evil."  
  
"Maybe," she said smiling at him.  
  
He chuckled before continuing. "Listen kid, I need you help. Goten and I are trying to get out of here. The problem is we don't want anyone to know so could you help us?"  
  
"Sure Trunks! What do you want me to do?"  
  
"All I need you to do is put on a little show. Sing a few songs maybe and make sure that both of our parents are all watching you. Think you can handle it?"  
  
"Yep!" she chirped willing to do anything for the big brother she adored.  
  
His smile widened and he mussed her hair a bit. "Good deal kid. Thanks. Oh and one more thing. I saw Mom go up that hill where Dad always sits so just in case Dad's in a bad mood I suggest you send someone else to get them so you won't get in trouble for bothering them."  
  
"Thanks Trunks," she said as he stood to his full height and moved back to the table where Goten and Marron waited for him.  
  
She quickly scanned the yard and spotted Gohan and Videl on the dance floor. She figured getting one of her parents' yelled at by her dad was a good way to pay Pan back for that weak remark she made earlier. With an evil smirk that would have warmed her father's heart, she skipped over to the dancing couple.  
  
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Isn't that Bra an absolute doll! *rolls eyes* Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed. See ya next time (unless you completely hated this chapter and don't intend to ever read again *sniff*). Thanks for reading. 


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